On 14 March 2026,  the Council agreed its position on the proposal to streamline certain rules regarding artificial intelligence (AI) (“Proposal“) which forms part of the so-called “Omnibus VII” legislative package in the EU’s simplification agenda. The package includes proposals for two regulations aiming to simplify the EU’s digital legislative framework and the implementation of harmonised rules on AI. The Council‘s negotiating mandate on draft regulation on the simplification of the implementation of harmonised rules on AI (Digital omnibus on AI) is available at this link, and Commission‘s proposal for Regulation on the simplification of the implementation of harmonized rules on artificial intelligence of 17 November 2025 at this link.

The Proposal contains the extension of the timeline for applying rules on high-risk AI systems by up to 16 months, so that the rules start to apply once the Commission confirms the needed standards and tools are available. The Commission also proposed further targeted amendments to the AI Act that would extend certain regulatory exemptions granted to SMEs also to small mid-caps (SMCs), reduce requirements in a very limited number of cases, extend the possibility to process sensitive personal data for bias detection and mitigation, reinforce the AI Office’s powers and reduce governance fragmentation.

The Council mandate also adds a new provision in the AI Act, prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material. The text also introduces a fixed timeline for the delayed application of high-risk rules: the new application dates would be 2 December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products. Furthermore, the Council mandate reinstates the obligation for providers to register AI systems in the EU database for high-risk systems, where they consider their systems to be exempted from classification as high-risk. It also reinstates the standard of strict necessity for the processing of special categories of personal data for the purpose of ensuring bias detection and correction.

In addition to these, the text postpones the deadline for the establishment of AI regulatory sandboxes by competent authorities at national level until 2 December 2027. It also clarifies the competences of the AI Office for the supervision of AI systems based on general-purpose AI models where the model and that system are developed by the same provider by listing exceptions where national authorities remain competent, including law enforcement, border management, judicial authorities and financial institutions.

Finally, the Council mandate adds a new obligation for the Commission to provide guidance to assist economic operators of high-risk AI systems covered by sectoral harmonisation legislation in complying with the high-risk requirements of the AI act in a manner that minimises compliance burden. Now, the EU presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament.